What EXACTLY are your symptoms?

[[tn...]]

Hi kcaqt,

I didn't know whhen or how to taper properly...i was dry cutting by eye no scale..pill splitting and holding to try and stabilize since i started my taper 9 months ago..i have been cutting1/4 of 1mg clonazepam pill through out until i went from 3mg to 1mg...i think that a .025mg and holding somtimes for 3wk or sometimes for a month...i was all over the place...all i know is

that im unable to function and suffering all day everyday since i started my taper my sxs have been worse and new ones coming and going...please help with what i should do as am terrified of this how process and what it has done to me so far...thanks tnt

[[tn...]]

Hi again kcaqt,

I was originally dosing 3x a day before and now at 2x a day .05mg at 2pm and .05mg at 10pm....do you think i should just take the whole 1mg pill once a day and at what time? and why...other people dose clonazepam 4x a day to have a steady concentration of the med in your blood in a 24hr pd. what is you opinion?...thanks your opions and help a truly appreciated...tnt

[[kc...]]

Once again, I need to stress that I'm not an expert - just a person who got addicted to clonazepam.

 

I used the drug for sleep, because I was struggling with the diagnosis of Parkinson's.  Eventually I couldn't sleep without it.  Then the .5mg didn't work and a doctor gave me 1 mg pills.  Soon I was experiencing severe depression and anxiety, which at first I didn't associate with the drug.  But I noticed a pattern emerging:  black mornings and much better evenings.  Since I took my pill only before bed, I wondered whether there was some connection with the reduced level of medication in the later part of the day.  It dawned on me that much of my suffering was connected to the clonazepam.  I had to get off, and was frightened of the struggle I'd face.

 

 

It has been hard, but not as bad as I thought it would be.

What learned with my own taper is that tiny cuts work best.  When I began, my doctor suggested a taper plan that was extremely fast - tried it and had acute symptoms.

 

I began again, reading the Ashton manual and cutting very very gradually.  I started at 1 mg and cut to .9375 for about 2-3 weeks, then .875 for 3 weeks, then .8125, .78 and so on.  It has taken a year, remaining for 3 weeks (more or less) at each cut.  Yes there were symptoms.  Morning black depression, mid-day anxiety, intermittent insomnia. 

 

A new doctor replaced my thirty monthly 1 mg pills with sixty .5mg pills to make cutting easier, and most recently with .25mg pills.  The pharmacist has also been extremely supportive.  I'm now at .2mg.

 

The way I did it was to wait for my body to "tell" me it was time to cut.  You'll recognize the signal.  Don't force yourself to keep to a predefined schedule; let your body call the shots.

 

I think you need to be more exact in your dosages.  I use two identical Gemini-20 portable milligram scales to weigh each pill.  The reason for two scales is to compensate for slight discrepancies between them by averaging out the readings.  Then I scrape the pill with a knife.

 

As for your question re dosing... I really don't know.  I only take my pill at night.  Perhaps it might help you to take four doses a day - each identical.  But this might be too much of a hassle. 

 

Re-reading your posts, I really believe that the root of your problem is the lack of dosage consistency.  You can't do this by eye.  Can you get smaller dosage pills?

 

[[tn...]]

Hi kcaqt, and thanks...i am getting 90 .05mg pills on April 3rd...i will continue to dose twice a day so i wont have to cut the 1mg pill teva brand in half..even though it has a score line in the middle sometimes even the slightest bit off can effect me...i think im very sensitive to any meds...especially a powerful med like clonazepam...what do you think about daily micro liquid titration using milk?...tnt

[[kc...]]

I tried a water titration but it was too much of a hassle.  Find that working with the gram scales is just fine.

Keep in touch.

[[be...]]

Thank you all, for responding.  I've noticed that as the day progresses, I feel much better.  Worst time is morning.  Now it's 10pm and I feel great - like, what's up with that? 

 

I'm assuming it's the reduction in the amount of drug in my body... or something (?)

 

So maybe today was mostly the withdrawal, 'cause I'm not trembling as much. 

Re palpitations, try propanolol.  It's a beta-blocker and works excellently - when I have a  period of palps., I take  maybe one and it breaks the cycle. 

 

Re gut issues - I've found an excellent natural probiotic - Renew Life - expensive but has worked for me.

 

I wish you all peace and chi (life force).

 

Hey:

 

What's up is because your cortisol levels are way down at night, and reach their peak at 4-6 a.m. That's why we have so many early risers here. Best wishes to you.